McDonald's has agreed to extend its UEFA soccer sponsorship, which began in 1992, into its 15th year. The deal, which covers the next two European Championships for men and women, makes McDonald's the official restaurant of UEFA and its associated tournaments through 2017.

“We have been supporting football, from grassroots level to the international tournaments, for more than 25 years," Denis Hannequin, President of McDonalds Europe said. "Our player escort programme is a great way of inspiring more young people to participate in the game," he added.

Commenting on the signing, David Taylor, CEO of UEFA Events SA, said: "The commitment of McDonald's to sponsor UEFA EURO 2012 and all our EUROTOP competitions is a further vote of confidence in the tournaments we organise and we are delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with McDonald's."

As part of its sponsorship, McDonald's will continue to provide children with the opportunity to participate in all national team competitions through the McDonald's player escort programme, a platform that the QSR giant is also using to leverage its World Cup sponsorship this summer.